The Student Teacher
by iLOVEsmellymarkers
Summary: Annabeth got accepted into Columbia University a year early, and is now studying there while Percy spends his senior year at Goode High. Annabeth decides to minor in teaching as a way to enhance her cabin counseling skills, and her semester exam depends on how well she can teach a certain class of seniors at a certain Goode High... PJO is owned by Rick Riordan. Not an AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everybody! It's been a while! I really want to apologize to the people I made commitments to. I was so busy this break, and I literally wrote this because inspiration struck me like a hammer. A massive one at that. So I'm terribly sorry for all the promises I couldn't keep, and I hope I can fulfill them soon. Meanwhile, enjoy! This is a full blown story by the way.**

Percy Jackson is Goode High's resident bad boy. At first sight, he doesn't seem like the heart-breaking, motorcycle driving, black leather wearing badass that most turn out to be. And that's because he's not. But Goode High needed a bad boy, and trouble followed Percy like Eeyore's raincloud, so the label was his.

Percy, with his nightshade hair and tan, glowing skin peppered with milky white scars, a tall body and lean, but prominent muscles, might look the role of a bad boy, but his eyes tell otherwise. They shine with happiness, a green the color of sea glass. Years ago, when he was a mere freshman, Percy's eyes shone with weary determination, swirling till they resembled the raging storm that had terrorized half of America in the weeks that followed his summered break. His stride, though straight and confident, was also humbling at the same time. It was obvious that Percy held high respect for everyone he met, which led everyone to believe that Percy wasn't arrogant and mean, but simply misunderstood.

At school, Percy had an inclination to keep quiet and to himself. He never spoke to anyone unless addressed first, and even then, he always seemed uninterested when talking to someone, looking around as if he was expecting -or dreading- someone- or something- to creep around the door. So in a way, Percy wasn't as much a "bad boy" as he was antisocial.

One aspect of Percy's personality frustrates the girls of his school to no end. Percy, with his handsome looks and ripped muscles, is as appealing to females (and some males) as peanut butter is to dogs. He is also, however, incredibly oblivious to the feelings he arouses inside those people. The few girls who are brave and outgoing enough to make the first move on him get no response. Literally. They'll talk and laugh and giggle and twirl their hair while they bat their eyelashes and wonder what they are doing wrong to keep Percy feeling so… uninterested. He won't tell them that he's doesn't want a girlfriend, but he doesn't show any romantic emotion either. To him, all girls are simply friends, and hair twirling and eye lash batting and lip biting is just natural girl behavior, whether they are talking to their parents or to their friends. Many would think he was gay, except he acted the same way for the guys that approached with the romantic intentions in mind. Therefore the student body of Goode High had decided that Percy Jackson was, to put it simply, unattainable.

So when, one day, Percy stepped out of the school ready, to drive away in his stepfather's beat up car that, interestingly enough, had hoof prints dotting the hood, nobody took note of any difference in his behavior. Everybody just saw an incredibly attractive, incredibly unattainable Percy Jackson. All was fine and normal. Well, until Percy held the door to the school building open a little longer than necessary, reaching his hand out as if waiting for someone else to walk through. This was unusual, but few thought anything of it. They figured he was assisting old Mrs. Lawson, who was nearing seventy five and still feels the need to teach. It wasn't until a hand shot out and grasped Percy's that people started to notice something was different about that day. The hand was slender, with long fingers and clear nails. It was immediately followed by a… girl? Yes, it was a girl, with a mass of golden curls tied back into a ponytail and smile to match the one that stretched across Percy's face at the moment. Her eyes, grey as the clouds during a rain shower, shone as Percy led her down the school steps. It was the moment he captured her lips in a passionate kiss that the students of Goode High realized that the unattainable Percy Jackson had just been… attained.

**So whatcha' think? I hope you like it! Hey, since you've already spent so much time reading this (admittedly short) chapter, why don;t you go ahead and review! a simple "good job" or "update" or even an "ew" will help me tons! Thanks for reading guys!**


	2. Chapter 2

To make sense of the phenomenon that occurred on the steps of Goode High moments ago and left the whole school buzzing, one must travel back to the beginning of the day.

This day, like most other days in the hustle and bustle of a high school student's life, started off with a ring.

_Rrrriiinngggg!_

The tardy bell rang as Percy flopped down into his seat, limbs and papers and books splayed across his desk carelessly. Homeroom was Percy's favorite class of the day, followed closely by lunch. Lunch may provide food, and swimming may provide major butt-kicking abilities, but, as many will tell you, homeroom provides sleep. So that's exactly what Percy did. Sleep. Well, that was until he was startled awake by someone. Not a teacher, but a classmate.

Percy opened his tired, tired eyes to see an outline of a girl swimming in his view. With a quick once over, Percy got his bearings and put a name to the face. Katherine, he recalled. She was nice enough, but he suspected she had some sort of muscle spasm disorder, because she had a tendency to wink several times in a conversation, and from the way she lolled her head around and swayed her hips, he also figured she was lightheaded from a lack of sleep.

"Hey Percy! How are you?" Katherine asks, twirling her hair around her finger and smiling indulgently.

"Fine. Tired." Percy notices the line of black right below her left eyebrow, a smudge from her mascara. This, obviously, led him to think about his girlfriend, Annabeth, and her comparative _lack_ of makeup and how beautiful she was at all times and how much he terribly missed her. Everything he saw reminded him of Annabeth. The desks, a monster, the teachers, his car, a book, a pegasus, a plane, even a lamp. So as long as Annabeth was in his heart, everything was her.

"-hang out sometime? Hello?" Percy is jarred from his thoughts by an insistent scraping at his ears, looking up to realize that Katherine was staring pointedly at him and waiting for a reply.

"Uh, well, you see, " He stutters out, trying to come up with an appropriate way to blow her off, but not sounding too harsh. Because no matter how nice Katherine may be, she will just remind him even more of Annabeth. The school bell rings and Percy hops out of his seat, gathering all his books and papers and stuffing them in his backpack as he looks over to the crestfallen girl perched precariously on his desk. With a quick mutter of "I got to go" he was up and out the door, trudging grumpily to his next class. Not only did he have math, but he hadn't gotten any sleep either!

It wasn't until the teacher walked in, trailed by a girl about his age with golden curls and piercing gray eyes, wearing a teacher ID on the belt of her slacks, her eyes gleaming as she examined his unruly hair and slack jaw, that Percy thought maybe his school year wouldn't be so bad after all.

**Dana dana dana dana LINE BREAK!**

"Hello class, I would like to introduce you to Miss Annabeth Chase. She'll be your student teacher this year. Annabeth, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?" Mrs. Whittaker said in a patronizing tone.

"Sure thing," Annabeth replies, adopting a casual stance, leaning her weight onto one hip and sending the class a quick, sly smile.

"My name, as you already know, Is Annabeth Chase. Call me whatever you want, just don't call me Annie. Or Beth. I do not take kindly to either. I am a freshman at Columbia University, but I'm actually supposed to be a senior at the boarding school on the other side of town, Brookstone Prep. However, Columbia offered me a scholarship a year before my graduation, so I accepted. I am majoring in architecture and minoring in teaching. I spend and have spent my summers since I was seven at a camp in New Jersey." She directed a quick glance at Percy during that moment, "I hope to get to know all of you soon and I hope we have a great year together."

Had Percy not been staring at Annabeth the whole duration of her speech, he would have realized that half of his class had been ogling her as well. But Percy was too baffled to notice. Thoughts flew through his head like hummingbirds, banging against the inside of his skull before flying out his ears. _She's definitely gotten taller. Did she get a haircut? How can she stand there and look so beautiful?_

The teacher found herself flustered as well. Having been so busy over the weekend, Ms. Whittaker didn't bother reading the file handed to her by the board directors. She had just glanced at the picture, noting the tan skin and blonde hair, figuring that Annabeth was just another perky California girl who decided to teach because it felt like the easiest career option at the time. How embarrassing, knowing that she completely misjudged her student teacher.

As Annabeth turned around to resume her position next to Mrs. Whittaker, a guyin the back of the classroom wolf-whistled at her. All conversation in the room dropped, and Percy broke out of his daze to turn his head and send a biting glare at the culprit who just so happened to be Jack Rackley, the very epitome of arrogance. Mrs. Whittaker, too, was astounded and opened her mouth to send Jackson to the office, but settled for an angry scowl when she noticed Annabeth stalk her way through the desk aisles, making her way to the boy that committed the biggest mistake in his life. Rackley, who was laughing and high- fiving his football buddies, fell silent when he met Annabeth's cold, hard gaze. He cowered back into his seat, sensing the storm about to engulf him. With a fake smile worthy enough to compete with Drew Tanaka's, Annabeth spins around and says loudly to the class,

"I did not come to this school to be treated unprofessionally. Say whatever you want to me after school's let out, but when that bell rings for homeroom, I don't want to hear a word of it. Just know that I don't tolerate flirting. At all." With the room silent and awed by her obvious authority, Annabeth heads back to the front of the room. She pauses a moment and turns back to face Jack, conveniently standing to the right of Percy. His fingers seemed to acquire a mind of their own as they twitched, itching to grab Annabeth hand and pull her into his lap so that they'd never be apart again.

"And just so you know," Annabeth adds on, lazily ghosting her hand over Percy's, the touch so light that no one even noticed the interaction between the two. "I have a boyfriend, so I wouldn't bother trying." That single touch burnt tendrils of passion into his skin. All the previous anger he held toward Jack, building and rising till it pounded in his ears like a tidal wave and crashing against his skull, quelled when he felt the pads if Annabeth's fingertips on the back of his hand. All rational thought had simply disappeared and Percy was left as a mass of silly putty in his oh so capable girlfriend's hands.

"Allright then," Mrs Whittaker says, clearing her throat noisily to cut through the silence. "Let's graph some polynomial functions!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! Sorry, I know it's been a while, but don't worry I haven't abandoned this story. Here's the next chapter, and nothing big really happens in it, but I still hope you like it! And just a question, did anyone understand the whole Katherine having a muscle spasm disorder thing? I feel like I made it too obscure, so if you did or didn't just review and tell me so that I don't do it in the future. And yes, they ARE demigods, that was unclear too. Enjoy!**

By the end of the school day, the hallways of Goode High School were bombarded with the din of boisterous teenagers as they complained about their lack of sleep, due in part to a filthy habit known as procrastination, more often than not occurring on the internet. But underneath it all, a new topic began to arise and cut a path through the roar of jumbled nonsense, striking a clear thought in everyone's minds: the new student teacher was absolutely _stunning_, no doubt about it. For the provincial minds of these strikingly normal teenagers condensed in the halls, this piece of news was simply astounding. If any one of these students had been situated outside of the teacher lounge's doors, they would have known that the story held a much more promising tale than the one currently emblazoned across the headlines.

The bottom of Annabeth's slacks swayed around her ankles, so that every step felt like wading through the shallow waters of Camp Half-Blood's lake. The hallway, lit by a series of not-so evenly spaced fluorescent lights casting an unearthly glow on the world below, was empty and silent, leaving Annabeth's ear buzzing from a lack of noise and her feet sending thunderclaps to reverberate into the school walls until she walked through the teacher lounge's entry doors. Well, she most definitely would have walked into the lounge, if not for the two hands that grabbed her shoulders and spun her around, disorienting her until two bright green eyes bled into focus.

"Percy!" Annabeth hissed before swinging her head from one side to the other to confirm that there were no prying eyes gazing back at her from the end of the hallway. Only then did she allow a small, mischievous smile to slide deftly across her face. "What are you doing here? This is the teacher hallway!"

Percy just simply stared at her, his eyes adjusting to the sight of the girlfriend he hadn't seen in almost a month. Her hair was still as curly as before, woven through with rivers of imperial gold. Her skin, though slightly less tan (inevitable in a northeastern city such as New York), still had a vivacious glow to it that only Annabeth seemed to be able to encompass. Her eyes seemed to ripple, much like a wolf shaking water off his fur, sometimes revealing the soft, vulnerable undercoat only to be trapped once again underneath the coarse outer covering. Annabeth, much like a wolf, is elegant, uncontrollable, cunning, and most of all, distant. It was Percy's job to find her weak spots and open her up to comfort and emotion. By the smile that continued to grow on her face, stretching its vines until they traveled from practically ear to ear, Percy judged that he had succeeded.

A fire had erupted in Percy's chest, so torrid that even the entirety of his father's domain couldn't extinguish it. The moment his lips found hers, he realized that he quite liked this fire. Annabeth's warm breath in Percy's mouth fed the flames until they swelled, consuming Percy from the inside out, from his toes to the tips of the silky hair that hung in front of his eyes. Annabeth wasn't left untouched either, as the fire enveloped her body as well until her mind was clouded with its sweet smoke. And then the moment was gone, the air cold, the fire extinguished. Well not entirely, for both felt the warmth that still clung to their limbs, crawling through veins and traveling steadily into their heart to be kept and treasured forever.

"Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth scolded, supposedly disappointed with his rash behavior although her tone suggested otherwise. "Not on campus! If any of the teachers see us I'll lose my job."

"What? So no one will know we're dating?" Percy cried indignantly, wrapping his calloused hands even more securely around Annabeth's waist as if at any moment the whole student body would converge on the pair and pull her away from him forever.

"Of course not, Kelp Head. That would be Goode High's scandal of the century," Annabeth retaliated, punching Percy's shoulder the way she always does when Percy states something endearingly stupid. With a quick onceover of the hallway, Annabeth brought Percy's lips to hers in a quick peck permeated with promises followed by an equally quick, but equally intimate hug. "Soon, okay? I promise." And then she was gone, twirling out of his grasp and strutting her way down the hall. Percy stared after her, his brain, or lack of, crumbling into soft sand and trickling out of his ears only to be replaced by the euphonious rhythm of the waves of camp's lake and the memories that came with it. Gods, he loved her so much.

"Percy! Anyone in there, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth called out a few feet away from him, smiling adoringly at his bemused expression. "Your mom's making spaghetti tonight. Aren't you coming?" With the idea of food slamming into his mind with the ferocity of a tsunami slapping at a rock, Percy recollected his thoughts and galloped ahead to the bodacious blonde, who had looted his heart with no intention of returning it.

**INSERT LINE BREAK HERE**

"I mean, like, I give up. Its totes obvious he's just playing games with me, but if he wants to get some of _this_ he's gonna have to step up to the bat, sweetie, and make the first move," Katherine laments endlessly, casting her hair over her right shoulder, then twisting it up and batting it away to tumble down her back in ostentatious curls, then jerking her head to one side so that it rested on her shoulder once again. Pulling down her skirt an inch, then changing her mind and pulling it up three, Katherine swings her head back to the crowd of devotees squeezed onto the bench next to her in the school courtyard, right outside the entrance of Goode High.

"You're so right!" one girl agrees, scrambling over the other obsequious followers in her effort to receive praise and climb the social ladder.

"Yeah, def!" another cries out, trying to trump her predecessor. "Look! There he is! I bet he's coming to ask you right now!" In a rush to see Goode High's elite, the girls found themselves in a tangle of limbs and cosmetic products and surely would have toppled over if Katherine's makeup bag, which is rumored to weigh twice as much as all eight members of her posse combined, hadn't been resting heavily on the opposite side of the bench. Katherine, whipping her hair around her shoulders in a brazen fashion that only her and Willow Smith seem able to master, hones in on our, tall, dark, and handsome protagonist as he stumbles through the doors of Goode. Picking up her make up bag, which inevitably led to a loud crash and a series of "Ows!" and "My heel just broke!" and "There's dirt in my hair!" and a very loud "Get this bench off of me; it's covered in _germs_!", Katherine traipses her way down to the school, imagining herself as a model on the catwalk, ready to catch the eye of every judge on the panel below. But then, she stops in her tracks as her spotlight shifts to the tan, blonde, and professionally dressed lady stepping out of Goode's exit doors. Is she a prestigious student, visiting from a prep school in England, or a prodigious professor, graduating from college years ahead of her time and conducting a research on the chemical components in the air of a New York high school? Whoever this girl- for she was much too young to be a woman- is, it is obvious that she possesses both authority and intellect, defined by her confident stride, her slight smile, and her unhesitant kisses - wait kissing? Katherine's world collapses as her primitive mind begins to refocus and capture the whole picture. That wretchedly powerful girl was kissing _her_ Percy Jackson, or was _he_ kissing her? _Impossible_, Katherine thought, _this can't be happening. Is the world really ending?_ Indeed, for Katherine it was. For the past two years, she had orbited around Planet Percy, waiting for a chance to become the meteor to clash into him and become his other half. But now, to know that he had already been set off course by a shooting star, bright and yellow as sunlight, and that she had missed her chance? Katherine was now just an asteroid, floating aimlessly in space without no one to grasp onto.

So, in this terrible moment of crisis, with the low rumble of whispering students pervading her ears, Katherine did the only thing she knew how to do.

She fainted.

**I know what you're probably thinking.**

"**She fainted? That's so cliché! And people don't even faint anymore!"**

**I know, I know. It's a bit unrealistic, but it just seemed to really go well with the style of writing I have going on. And you'll understand where I'm going with this in the next chapter. Thanks so much for the support everybody! Special shout out to MaydayParade8123 for being my inspiration, and for being **_**incredibly awesome!**_** Check her stories out you guys, they're fantastic! Read and Review! Thanks y'all!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Gods guys, I feel really bad. I know some of you guys have been waiting for the whole month for this chapter, and in all honesty, it kind of sucks! So you are probably super pissed right now at my laziness and writer's block and what not, but can you find room in your warm and forgiving heart for some remorse and read this anyway? Thanks guys, R&R, even if you absolutely loathe it.**

Actually, to say she fainted would be a bit of a stretch. Katherine, in a fit of self-pity and rage, had simply fallen backwards, and screamed in astonishment when one of her minions was not standing with arms open, ready to catch Her Royal Highness. She collapsed onto the ground and began to tear up as the image of Percy and that- that _blonde _branded itself onto her eyes. Those around Katherine simply glanced at her when the shrill wail flew from her lips, noticed that it was nothing more than a rich and spoiled brat complaining _again_, and focused their attention onto the kissing couple- or at least they tried to, as the water from the fountain that stood at the entrance to the school building, protected by the ancient stone lion that many had fondly grown to call Larry, began to steam and boil, evaporating until the air became a warm, sticky smokescreen, nearly impossible to see through. As the onlookers squinted and shoved their friends aside, trying to find a clear vantage point, the steam galloped away on a strong gust of wind, so quickly that the warm heat still clung to the scarves and jackets worn on this chilly autumn day.

The very second the cloak of steam vanished into the air, Percy and "she", as that remained the blonde's title in everyone's mind (some spoke it with bitter emphasis, others with a feathery gust of breath), separated from their kiss, most probably from a lack of breath than of a lack of passion. A moment of silence permeated through the air, as the audience waited for "she" to turn to the crowd and give a view of that supposedly lovely face of hers, for her face must indeed be lovely as to catch as unattainable a man as Percy's eye. After an eon of waiting, "she" spun around, and several of the students recognized her. It was the new student teacher! Yes, her face was more flushed than during the school hours, and her smile more indulgent, but there was no doubt, Percy had managed to catch the uncatchable on his fishing line.

Annabeth turned away from Percy, trying to hide her blush, and found herself eye to eye with every single student of Goode High. The students she had to _teach._ Panic ghosted its way up her spine, its maniacal laughs reverberating through her ears, its hands squeezing her heart to a bursting point. Dear Zeus, what if they told the principal?

Holding back a frustrated scream, Annabeth wheeled around, grasped Percy's wrist in a grip tight enough to match Polyphemus's and sprinted her way to Percy's, or Paul's actually, worn down Prius, trying to maintain her cool. She haphazardly shoved Percy into the driver's seat, not caring enough to console him as his head hit the roof the car with a hearty _thump_ before she launched herself into the passenger seat, smoothly buckling her seatbelt with the swift hand eye coordination of a swordsman. With nothing else to do but drive, Annabeth finally allowed herself to lose her head.

"What if one of the teachers finds out?" Annabeth wails, holding her head in her palms and grabbing desperately at her hair. "What if I lose my job? I'll fail my exam! I've never failed anything before! I can't start now! What do I do?" Annabeth's cries echoed through the car, bouncing back at her and repeating themselves in her head as if she were in dreamland. Perhaps this was dreamland. _One can only hope_, Annabeth thought to herself glumly. As the ringing of her voice in her ears subsided, another sound replaced it. It was a chuckle, low and bubbly, spurting out of Percy's mouth in fountain of subdued laughter.

"Percy!" Annabeth screeched, irritated by his amusement as her life lay in ruins at the front steps of Goode. "This is my life on the line! Why are you laughing?" At this, Percy's chuckles grew increasingly louder until he erupted in rambunctious laughter. Annabeth groaned in exasperation, glaring at the window. The landscape was bathed with red— red trees, red sky, red sidewalk, red sun— left mauled and bleeding by Annabeth's vicious gaze. With a sudden intensity burning through her skin, Annabeth snapped her head to the side to face Percy.

"This is all your fault you know!" Annabeth stated, authority freezing her words into ice cold calm. Percy's laughter halted abruptly, and he stared at her for a moment, appalled.

"My fault?" Percy spluttered out as he parked his car in front of Annabeth's apartment, which she shared with her classmate from Columbia. "How is this my fault? You kissed me!"

"Well if you hadn't looked so damn adorable I wouldn't be in this mess!" This threw Percy in a loop.

"So you're mad at me," Percy let out slowly, his mouth coiling in confusion, "because you're attracted to me?" Annabeth couldn't take it anymore. There were two things that Percy did which led Annabeth to tackle him with a frenzy of kisses. Taking control in the relationship was one of them. Wearing a confused face was another. Annabeth ripped her seatbelt away and pounced on Percy, pressing her lips to his hurriedly and hoping desperately to walk away with some dignity by the end of the day. Percy responded willingly for a few moments, before stopping and pulling back.

"But wait," he huffed out as Annabeth locked her lips onto his neck. "If you're mad then why-"

"Just shut up and kiss me Kelp Head." There wasn't much talking soon after that.

Annabeth sat at Mrs. Whittaker's desk, filing papers. As students filed in for class, she could feel inquisitive glances and monstrous glares flung her way from across the room. Annabeth refused to look away from her students, or blush. Instead she paused her meticulous filing for a moment and focused her gaze upward, scanning the rowdy mob of teens in front of her and taking in their looks of contempt, their disgusted sneers, and their presumptuous smirks with a stoic, indifferent, almost uninterested expression. The room quieted for a moment under her steely scrutiny, then immediately picked up when she worked on filing once again. The bell rang, and Annabeth counted the number of seconds with a small smirk.

_One… two… three…_

"Sorry I'm late Mrs. Whittaker I got held up-" Percy cried as he catapulted himself into the classroom, stopping midsentence when he notices that the only teacher present in the room was Annabeth, if she even counted as a teacher. Percy didn't think he could pay attention if he tried. Her eyes were much too distracting and her smile much too alluring.

"Mrs. Whittaker's not here," Annabeth mentioned unnecessarily, as she stood up and stretched her legs, then walked around the desk to lean on it with the palms of her hands. "She's out fixing the copier. Apparently she's the only one that knows how. Either way, she won't be here for a while." Percy shrugged and strolled over to Annabeth, pecking her on the cheek. He made a move to head towards his desk, but Annabeth reached out and hit him on the arm before he could so much as take a step.

"What are you doing?" She hissed, as he rubbed his arm delicately, cursing under his breath and sticking his tongue out at her. It had been nearly two years since invulnerability had seeped away from his skin, and Percy still found himself struggling to adjust to the new feeling of physical pain.

"Well, they know anyway," Percy reasoned, rocking back and forth on his heels. "I don't see the point in trying to hide it." Annabeth thought for a moment, trying to formulate a counter argument, but eventually sighed in defeat.

"Just go sit in your desk," She grumbled out, grudgingly looking down at the floor.

"Wait… does this mean that I win?" Percy drawled out suspiciously.

"Yes," Annabeth gritted out, the air in her throat crystallizing into to a rock harder than diamonds that scraped against her neck as she swallowed. "But only because I allow it." Percy rolled his eyes in adoration and pecked her once more on the cheek before loping across the room and dropping into his chair.

While Percy and Annabeth had been teasing and flirting—yes, that was indeed flirting for you nerdy readers out there who have never talked to members of the opposite gender, or at least it was Annabeth and Percy's way of flirting— the rest of Percy's classmate's had used that time to be informed of what had occurred in the last thirty three seconds that they were not conversing with their friends, which was to say absolutely nothing besides a newfound pimple, a party invite, and a perverted joke which made no sense at all, but everyone laughed at anyway as to not be conceived as "innocent." Olympus forbid the embarrassment! All this while, however, everyone kept a close eye on the secret couple at the front of the room, glancing at them surreptitiously.

As the class fell into a moment where the class suddenly stops speaking at once for no apparent reason, Percy used that moment to stand up and walk to the front of the room, clearing his throat.

"Hey, guys," Percy began his speech with a disappointing lack of flair. "So this job means a lot to Annabeth, and we would both really appreciate it if you kept the information about our relationship to yourself." As he spoke, Percy stared directly into the each one of his classmate's eyes, one by one, almost as if daring someone to be the goody two shoes that tattled to the teacher like a little six year old. His eyes rested on Jack's for a little longer than they had on others, for Jack's sinister sneer seemed less than reassuring. With that, Percy ungracefully settled back in his seat.

The minutes of silence that followed were interrupted by none other than Mr. Paul Blofis, Percy's stepfather, as he entered the room with a stack of papers in hand. Smiling in a fatherly manner at Annabeth, Paul, straightened out the edges of the new files against the grey plastic of the desk, then flung it carelessly onto the desk, completely negating his efforts of organization.

"Those papers are for next quarter's syllabus. Could you-"

"Mr. Blofis!" Jack yelled out, effectively cutting Paul off with a smile wider than Dionysus's stomach. "Percy is dating the new student teacher!"

Complete and utter silence hung over the class like the weight of the sky, pressing down deeper and deeper into their shoulders. Percy and Annabeth were the only two who seemed to be totally and completely relaxed. In fact, they were sending smirks back and forth to each other.

A moment later, when Paul awoke from his stunned stupor, he looked at Jack, then Percy, then Annabeth, and then chortled, understanding that the secret couldn't have been withheld from the public very long.

"Yes, I know," Mr. Blofis replied, shaking his head slightly and smiling at Annabeth, his eyes radiating approbation. "But I suggest you keep that information to yourself young man. I wouldn't want you to be suspended for accusing a teacher of something that can't be proven, am I right?" With a final laugh, a boisterous one that bounced around the walls of the room and into the ears of young, naïve Mr. Rackley, Paul strolled out the door, leaving a buzz of electricity in the air.

Jack slumped down in his seat, astonished. Had he just been blackmailed by a _teacher_?

Meanwhile…

"I'm fine! Stop touching me!" Katherine screeches she flinches away from the nurses soft hands, which were probing her skull for any wounds. That day at school, Katherine had been exaggerating her collapse so much that people had begun to think that she actually _had_ crushed part of her skull on the concrete steps and sent her to the infirmary. The nurse clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth in disapproval and continued to roam her fingers over Katherine's head. Katherine tried to move out of the nurse's path, but gave up after it became evident that escape was futile. For the fifteenth time since her lovely stay at the home of the white plastic beds and sterile rubbing alcohol, Katherine tried to explain the monstrosity occurring at her high school.

"Are you listening to me? One of my classmates is dating the new student teacher! They were making out in front of the entire school!" The nurse pursed her lips, lines forming around the edges from worry, and rushed over to her arsenal of medical supplies, pulling out a paper cup and filling it with tap water. She placed the cup in Katherine's hand, which was shivering with rage, and pressed the beads of perspiration on her patient's head away with a pristine, white towel.

"My dear," the nurse said with a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "You must have been hallucinating. Are you sure you didn't hit your head?"

**So I literally just finished this chapter when I was struck with inspiration for the next one. It's going to be pretty intense, if I do say so myself. And unlike this chapter, I won't be forcing myself to crank out the words, the writing is already forming itself in my head right now! I'll start writing tomorrow, and who knows, maybe I'll be done before the weekend! So if you shuffle things around, maybe even get rid of the remorse I asked you to find, will you be able to have room for patience in your heart? Thanks so much guys for reading! I hope you review to tell me this was an utter fail and that you are completely disappointed in me, or maybe that I'm overreacting and it's not that bad. Tell me what you think. Censorship doesn't exist here. I do not report unless you are a complete and total bitch, meaning that you insult me on anything other than my writing. So feel free to let the angry curse words stream like the River Styx from your mouth. They may sting as bad as running through cacti in the Fields of Punishment, but with your advice I'll be invincible! Please review, it really means a lot to me!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I know I know, I lied about posting this chapter sooner. Sorry, I had volleyball. And school. And a bunch of Fanfiction stories to read. But I'm posting now, right? So that's good. I guess. Here's the next chapter! Read and Review!**

"Credit card please," the cashier droned, shifting her weight and huffing wearily under her breath. As her customer rifled through her purse for her wallet, she rolled her eyes in boredom, and then shined a polished smile to effectively negate her less than affable actions. Finally, a square of blue-and-grey plastic slid its way to her from across the counter and the cashier made a lackadaisical grab at it with her manicured nails. Letting the lustrous card slide along her fingers as she swipes it through the register lounging peacefully on the marble counter, she glanced quickly as her customer's name flashed across the screen, imprinting its name into her mind before it dissolved into a stream of drivel.

_Laura Whittaker_, the screen read.

Mrs. Whittaker grabbed her bag of purchases, slipping the thin paper receipt into her jacket pocket before walking out of Pineapple Confederation and into the busy crowds of the mall. It was her first free Saturday in quite a few weeks, and she intended to spend it doing one of her favorite past times: shopping. She didn't enjoy shopping as much as she enjoyed seeing her students in the mall eat at the food court, flirt with a girl, and ice skate in the massive rink on the ground floor. She especially loved it when they noticed her shopping and acting like a normal human being. She would wave at them and they would adorn a mask of horror at being recognized before turning away and ducking behind a kiosk for Mushigi Spheres, the new revolutionary magic toy that does nothing at all. Her students were unique, yet so similar at the same time. Different people, same reactions. She wondered if she had been guilty of the same thing in her teenage years.

As her toes began to throb from a lack of blood circulation, caused by heels that were much too flamboyant and angular to be deemed comfortable, Mrs. Whittaker decided to take a small break and slid onto a bench in front of a fountain. She found herself situated near the jewelry store, Jay Jewelers. Humming their jingle "Every journey begins with J" under her breath, Mrs. Whittaker allowed her eyes to roam the windows of the store, admiring the beautiful engagement rings, although she very much liked the one her husband of now twenty years had given her. Her eyes travelled to the left to admire the rings some more, but her vision was cut off by a person- she looked a little bit farther- two people, a boy and a girl. Notice how the two were a boy and a girl, not a man and a woman, for the two were most definitely teenagers, if it was not already evident enough from their torn sneakers and blue jeans. The boy had the girl's left hand enveloped in his right, swaying it back and forth between him. His stance appeared comfortable and relaxed, but from the way he stood protectively around the girl, Mrs. Whittaker could tell that he planned to intercept anything that came to harm his girlfriend. Just from the gesture, she understood how deep their affection went, deeper than any rabbit hole Alice could ever fall through.

The boy, sweeping thick strands of dark hair out of his eyes before lifting the blonde girl's hand up to his face, trailed his other hand on her ring finger softly and proclaimed,

"This spot is mine, you know." Mrs. Whittaker's heart warmed at the bold and utterly adorable comment as the girl turned to face her boyfriend.

"It always has been," she replied, and her face split into a wide smile. In that moment, something about the girl's profile looked familiar. Perhaps it was the straight line of her nose, or the curls that bounced up and down whenever she moved her head, but Mrs. Whittaker had seen that girl before.

Ignoring her befuddling thoughts, she sighed. Having married her very own high school sweetheart, Mrs. Whittaker understood that the two could quite possibly be together for the rest of their lives. Others would say the two were crazy to plan their lives out so quickly, but Mrs. Whittaker thought otherwise.

Suddenly, from nowhere in particular, a large, gold coin rolled across the floor and struck the side of her foot. It was about the size of a Zork peppermint patty, the ones with the commercials of women getting goose bumps and eyes dilating and such, and the side staring back up at her had a Greek Omega symbol etched onto it. Picking up the coin, Mrs. Whittaker heard the rush of the fountain behind her and received the sudden urge to make a wish. But whatever would she wish for?

Her eyes trailed back onto the happy couple, now in a sideways embrace as they continued to window shop for rings. And suddenly, she knew what her wish would be.

Mrs. Whittaker held the coin close to her heart and thought in her mind, _I hope those two stay together forever and nothing tears them apart._ With that, she tossed her coin into the water and watched as it sent patterns of rainbows hopping across the water. Somehow, she understood that the wish she made would come true, and Mrs. Whittaker smiled before turning back to watch the couple.

The boy tugged on the girl's arm.

"Let's go," he said, smiling softly at her. "Mom will be mad if we're late for lunch." The girl grinned.

"Wouldn't want to keep Sally waiting, now would we?" she replied jokingly. They laughed together for a moment, then the boy turned to leave, and Mrs. Whittaker saw his face. She recognized him, but before she could get over her shock and happiness for his good fortune, the girl turned around. Mrs. Whittaker sucked in a breath as she met the eyes of the couple- one set green, the other grey.

* * *

"Please! You can't tell anyone!" Annabeth pleaded.

Earlier, when her silvery eyes had come into contact with Mrs. Whittaker's disconcerted brown ones, Annabeth first felt a stab of shock pierce into her skin. That emotion soon gave away to dread, and then to a hyperactive panic as Mrs. Whittaker wheeled around and dove her way into the crowd, away from the daunted couple. Grabbing Percy, who still stood by her side with his signature confused expression draped across his face, by the hand, she sprinted through the crowd towards the frightened math teacher, who had now transformed into a tiny speck in the crowd as easily discernible as a flea in Medusa's reptilian bedhead of snakes.

By the power of the gods, Percy and Annabeth found their teacher cornered into a little alcove outside of the restrooms, holding her head in her hands and leaning her head back to rest on the cold plaster wall whilst sucking in one quick breath after another.

Now, back to the present.

As Annabeth beseeched for confidentiality, and Percy stood steady as Zeus's Fist beside her, Mrs. Whittaker recomposed herself. Now, she was finally ready to argue.

"Why should I keep this relationship a secret?" She hissed worriedly, scanning the crowd for any eavesdroppers. No one bothered to listen. It _is_ New York after all. "_This_," she gestured wildly at the pair of intertwined hands resting between to two, "is illegal! It is against the law to date a student, Annabeth!" Annabeth's face hardened.

"There is no way I'm breaking up with Percy," she replied, her defensive and affirmative tone causing Percy's face to break out into a dazzled smile.

"Same here," he echoed, leaning down to nuzzle his nose into Annabeth's neck for a moment. Then, he focused his attention back onto Mrs. Whittaker's slightly repulsed face.

"Please, Mrs. Whittaker. This job really means a lot to her. It would break my heart if she fails her semester exam because of me." Annabeth turned to Percy, confused of the unexpected twist he had taken on the events occurring.

"Percy," she says, and he watched her protectively. "If anything happens, it's not your fault. I lov-" Her passionate declaration was interrupted by Mrs. Whittaker's scoff.

"Break your heart?" she mocked, vainly trying to ignore the love emanating from the shared gazes of the scandalous couple. "Until about three weeks ago, you hadn't even met her! And now, the consequences of her actions will _break your heart_?" A particular aspect of Mrs. Whittaker's comment shocked the couple.

"You think we've only known each other for _three weeks_?" Annabeth asked incredulously.

"Haven't you?" Mrs. Whittaker replied, hesitation overtaking the venom in her voice. Annabeth shakes her head vigorously, her face as stony as one of Medusa's statues.

"I have been dating Percy Jackson for two years now," Annabeth proclaimed, her voice swelling in indignation and fanning out into the ears of nearby shoppers. As they looked curiously at her, Annabeth brought her voice down. "And we have been best friends for six."

"And I have consciously and unconsciously loved her the whole time," Percy affirmed, placing a kiss on her cheek. Mrs. Whittaker stood there in quiet silence, at war with herself.

It's the same battle that has always been: ethos versus pathos. They happen to be very same reasons that resulted in the fall of Troy, started the feud between Poseidon and Athena, rationalized the many love affairs of the gods. At one point in their lives, every person finds themselves having to make a decision. Succumb to their emotions, positive or negative, or stand tall and do what the rule of the land dictates. Most choose the former, but Mrs. Whittaker can't help but wonder, is that really a weakness? Ethically, she knew that a relationship between a student and a teacher, even if said teacher is simply an apprentice of sorts, is immoral. There is a reason this kind of affection is outlawed. It could lead to biased opinions, unfair grades, cheating on tests, special privileges, and so much more. But Annabeth is only eighteen after all. Is it so wrong for her to want to work and still be with her lover? And that is where the feelings kick in. Mrs. Whittaker knows it is wrong, she knows it is scandalous, but seeing the two together brought about a sympathetic pang inside her. The two reminded her of her own high school years, where she had dated her soon to be husband, and just _knew_ that they were meant for each other. When she had married him right out of high school, she felt the whispers drive arrows into her back. _How scandalous_, her classmates would say, _they will never last_. And she remembered most clearly of all, as she was still living in that daze at home, the feeling of being with her husband, Sean, and knowing that no matter what happened, love would always keep her rooted to him, no matter how many ties were severed with others. Is that in all actuality so bad? And really, now that she thinks about it, is it as scandalous as she had previously perceived it to be? Had Annabeth not been as intelligent and ambitious as she is now, she would still be a senior in high school. She is the same age as Percy give or take a few months, and their relationship is based on more than just lust. So honestly, was there really anything wrong with the relationship?

And, with these thoughts swirling in her head, seesawing back and forth, Mrs. Whittaker came to a conclusion.

With a long sigh, a shaky downward glance, and a small prayer to any higher being up above to lead her in the right direction, she stated, "I'll keep my mouth shut. For now."

**Liked it? Hated it? Have any requests? Have any ideas? Just want to cry about something? Review below, and if it has something substantial in it, I will try my best to reply! You all have been so supportive, thank you so much for everything! See that review box? It's down there. You see it? No? Look a little bit lower. Now you see it, right? Well, I would really really really appreciate it if you would review. If you hate something about the story, I definitely would like to know! If you wish I would add something, tell me and I'll see if I like it. I am open to anything, you say whatever. Words are powerful, and they convey so much! So just tell me and I'll see to it that I reply as soon as I can.**

**And speaking of powerful words, I have a fic to recommend! I'm sure most of you have read it already, but for those who haven't, check it out!**

**It's called "As Far As You May Run" by MaydayParade8123 (Yeah, I'm obsessed with her. Deal with it)**

**Love y'all! Have a FANTASTIC weekend!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Just wondering, do you think this story is going too fast? Or too slow? What do you guys think? I'm totally okay with either speeding up or slowing down the story, but I want to hear from you guys. Wait, do you people even read author's notes? Well if you do, I just wanted to say THANK YOU ALL. In a fit of narcissism I checked the stats for this story and last month I got 6,360 views. Like what? You guys are AMAZING, you know that? Thanks for all the support! Sorry about the long Authors Note, I tend to talk a lot. Anyway, without further ado, here is the new chapter!**

_Knock knock knock_

Inside the quaint apartment that had been prepped to perfection a measly fifteen minutes earlier, Paul straightened out the pressed, striped sleeves of his button down as he made his way towards the door. Percy, meanwhile, scowled at his own blue oxford shirt, rolling and unrolling the cuffs of his sleeves till they lounged comfortably on the crook of his elbow. Leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom, Percy gave a bleak smile to Paul's back as his stepfather walked to the entrance of their apartment. He could only imagine the incomprehensible boredom and stiff formalities about to be launched his way.

On the other side of the politely vague, baby blue door with the lackluster doorknob, a procession of middle aged men and women had congregated on the bristles of the enthusiastic welcome mat, waiting silently, albeit a bit nervously as well, for the door to swing open and their kind host to invite them in.

You guessed it; this fateful evening marked the day of the Goode High Seniors' Teacher Dinner. It also happened to be the day that suspicion arose among the teachers about just how close Percy and Annabeth really were, but that will come later.

Eventually, just as predicted, the door glided open to reveal Paul Blofis, his peppered hair brushed, his thin black tie straightened, and his bright teeth gleaming beneath his amiable smile. He ushered his colleagues inside with an airy "Come in, come in!" The teachers filed in in clusters of three, allowing their hands to be graciously shaken by their host before stepping into the living room. As all twenty of them flocked somewhat awkwardly by the couches, a woman that we all know as Sally Jackson strode in, followed by Goode High's most well-known trouble maker.

"Hello!" Ms. Lance, the Comparative Government teacher, chimed out as she made her way over to the motherly brunette standing shyly in the corner. "You must me Mrs. Blofis, Paul's wife! Oh he's told us so much about you!" Sally smiled and took the small and frail hand outstretched in front of her before replying,

"That would be me, but please. Call me Sally." Percy, who stood slightly behind his mother and peered lazily at the crown over her head, rolled his eyes and grinned. Ms. Lance smiled haltingly back at him.

"Hi Percy, it's good to see you again." From what Carey Lance could tell, Percy was a good kid. Trouble clung to him like a disease, and followed him around like a persistent puppy. So maybe trouble maker wouldn't be the best words to describe him. Perhaps unlucky would be better.

"Hi Ms. Lance, how is your sister?" And this was what Carey liked about Percy. Since he was never one to excel at academics, people simply thought he didn't pay attention. They couldn't be farther from the truth. Although his eyes flitted from one thing to the next at a rapid speed, he took in everything with a single glance. Out of all her students, he was the only one to notice the picture on her desk of her and a girl, maybe a year or two younger, whose head was covered in soft, light blond peach fuzz. Of course, Paul could have told him just as easily, but she knew Paul wasn't one to share personal matters, and even if he had, Carey was nearly positive any comment Paul made on the subject only validated what Percy Jackson already knew.

"She's doing great! The doctors say that she responded to chemo very well and might even be better by the end of next year." Percy's eyes brightened considerably, and he grinned, relieved. Noticing the momentary lull in conversation, Sally easily filled the gap.

"So, Carey, how do you think…"

* * *

Carey's thoughts drifted off lazily as she continued to chat with Percy and Sally while the party shifted towards the dining room. How Sally managed to fit twenty something adults, a hyper active teenager, and enough food to thoroughly stuff a hoard of ravenous elephants in an apartment kitchen with plenty of room to spare remained a mystery to the disassembled group currently seated at the dinner table. As conversation pealed through the air, Ms. Lance noticed, just as several guests had, the absence of a relatively new acquaintance.

Annabeth Chase, student teacher and teenage genius, left a glaring hole in the party festivities. Student teachers were usually highly unlikely to be invited to faculty gatherings like these, but Annabeth's immediate connection with Paul Blofis had led everyone to assume that she would be the first to arrive. Although her intelligent eyes, no-nonsense teaching method, and stoic professional-during-working-hours attitude led her to be immediately like by the professors of Goode, no one had quite expected the middle aged English teacher to be chatting up the young newbie, who was no older than his stepson. All the teachers just assumed that the immediate friendship originated with the two's shared affinity for Greek Mythology. If only they knew…

Carey Lance, after allowing herself to be miffed by the absence of the only revered and respected student teacher to ever walk the campus of Goode High, let the thought tumble to the back of her mind with the rest of her forgotten tasks before turning to Doctor Ramirez, the chemistry professor, and asking him how his wife was managing to take care of three kids, all of whom were enrolled in sports, school plays, student council, and a basket full of miscellaneous extracurriculars.

Conversations rocketed across the table as people ate and laughed, chatting so boisterously that the unlocking of the front door was barely discernible above the din. In fact, the clickof the door lost its voice in a sea of laughter as the whole crew of teachers listened to Carey, easily the most comfortable with teenagers given that she's been raising her own thirteen year old daughter single handedly since the day her husband left, teased Percy about girls.

"So," Carey asked, leaning across the table to look Percy, who sat in front if her, in the eye, "any girls caught your fancy recently?"

The table erupted in a chorus of laughter and Paul and Sally smiled secretively at each other. Mrs. Whittaker coughed deliberately into her shirtsleeve, firing a pointed look the blushing, crimson-red teenager's way as Percy began to stammer out a reply. Before a sound could escape from his lips, his attention was caught by the sound of footsteps just behind the walls of the hallway, leading up to the grand entryway by the head of the table. Seconds later, Annabeth Chase, her converse sneakers untied, her golden curls billowing behind her in its signature ponytail, her grey eyes steely and contemplative, burst through the archway of the dining room, her tan, muscular legs swiftly carrying her across the room.

"Hey Sally!" She called out, and the group sitting at the table vaguely noted how comfortably their lovely host's name floated off Annabeth's tongue, juxtaposing just how silly and formal the polite "Mrs. Blofis"s or the hesitant and jerky "Sally"s exchanged a mere half hour earlier sounded. It was easily seen that, as Annabeth wrapped her arms familiarly around her future mother-in-law's shoulders (although hardly anyone knew _that_), the two women understood and cared for each other. A few in the crowd, namely an antisocial and crabby computer technician who went by the name of Mr. Pistoff, scowled in envy at her ability to be so easily liked and her stalwart personality, although even he couldn't suppress a smile as Annabeth waved to him over Sally's shoulder.

"I got held up writing a paper for my History of Architecture class and came as soon as I could," Annabeth explained, easily avoiding having to apologize, and leaving Percy grinning at the ground at her stubborn belief of always being right.

Carey was the only one who noticed the way Percy's eyes followed Annabeth's traveling form as she flitted from one teacher to another, avoiding all frivolousness and addressing them kindly and candidly. They, his eyes, seemed to fade into a lighter shade of green, the color of a shallow coral reef, and the creases around his previously worried eyes dissipated, as if a nagging worry had been banished.

Actually, that was exactly how Percy felt at the moment. Ever since the door to the Blofis apartment swung open and Annabeth was not the first to walk over the mat, his mind had been ransacked by incessant worry. What if she met up with a monster and forgot her knife, he had wondered. Did she find a spider in her dorm room, and was simply too independent to call for help? Did Hera decide to add a twist to the ever thickening plot and kidnap Annabeth this time instead? Was she having a breakdown and reliving the gods' forsaken tragedies of Tartarus?

All these thoughts had riddled Percy's mind, itching away at his skin and throwing him into an inner frenzy of panic. Just seeing her there, smiling slightly in her reserved way, and sweeping her hair out of her eyes, struck away all his worry. Knowing that the cause of all his stress had been a damn _college essay_ that was no doubt due weeks from now, made him smile inside, thinking about his girlfriend overachieving at a paper in a completely Annabeth fashion.

Meanwhile, just as Annabeth was finishing her rounds around the table, Ms. Lance leaned over to Percy. Her voice picked its way across the tale as she whispered to him,

"She's pretty." Percy immediately snapped out of his reverie and stared at his government teacher, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. He stammered, tripping over his tongue in his effort to deny any semblance of attraction to his secret girlfriend.

"I-I, I don't know what you're talking about," Percy replied, picking at the steak on his plate. "And besides, students aren't allowed to date teachers." Ms. Lance crinkled her nose indignantly and opened her mouth to release her opinions on the matter, but before she could, Annabeth had set her worn out self down in the chair next to Percy, which had been vacant ever since Sally had relinquished it to sit next to Paul.

"Good Evening, Ms. Lance," Annabeth greeted politely. She swung her gaze lazily over to the boy next to her. "Percy." Ms. Lance took note of the duplicate smirks of amusement on the two teens' faces, and thus continued on with the conversation she was having with Percy.

"Hello Annabeth! Percy and I were just discussing the law stating that students can't date teachers." Annabeth froze in the middle of chewing on her dinner and sent Percy a slightly panicked and inquisitive look. Percy's face rotated less than half of a degree to the side, and Annabeth immediately relaxed, looking at Ms. Lance (who had noticed the entire exchange) coolly. Before she could make a vague and diplomatic reply, Doctor Ramirez had butted into the conversation.

"Are you guys talking about the student teacher relations law? I think it's pretty important that it is kept, don't you?" Carey frowned in reply.

"But is it really that necessary for Annabeth to half to follow it? Goodness, she's probably younger than some of our own students!"

"That's true," The French teacher Madame Lyell joined in. "I'm fairly certain that the law was made to keep underage kids from dating anyone too old for them, and this obviously doesn't apply to Annabeth." Around the table, people nodded their head in assent, grumbling about pointless laws the Education Board had been passing. Paul even decided to vouch for his almost-daughter.

"Some may argue that the laws there to keep biased ideas out of the classroom, but I know Annabeth would never favor anyone more than another." The adults, buzzing from the numerous glasses of wine they had drunken, erupted in a rowdy applause, praising Paul for his 'philosophical' epiphany about Annabeth's trustworthiness.

After the ruckus quieted down, Annabeth faced her employers and elder friends with a calculating stare.

"So you guys really think I should be allowed to date a high schooler?" Annabeth asked, turning her own question over in her mind.

Carey replied enthusiastically, "Of course you should! And why do you ask? Has one of Goode's finest caught your fancy?" she joked, eliciting chuckles from her colleagues. Annabeth just rolled her eyes.

"No, not particularly." Annabeth didn't add a strange inflection of love to her voice, or acknowledge the man sitting next to her at all, but Percy didn't mind. Annabeth was smart, and Annabeth knew how to keep her emotions in check while out in public, except for the extreme rarity of that one kiss on the Goode steps that led to so much drama. If Annabeth did not think it was time to let people know about their relationship, then so be it. By no means did it mean that she didn't care for him. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Besides, if the tan and lithe leg stretched out over his thigh and wrapped around his leg, her bare foot rubbing against the back of his bare calf, was any indication, Percy was doing just fine.

* * *

As dinner came to a close, and the party clamored back to the living room, Percy found his moment of escape.

"Hey, Annabeth?" Percy called out, just loud enough that it crawled into everyone's ears and brought attention to his words, and just quiet enough to not seem grandiose and overdone. "Can you, um… help me with math? Yeah, could you help me with math." Annabeth nodded and complied, allowing Percy to lead the way to his, although she had been there plenty of times before (with and without Percy's knowledge) and knew perfectly well how to get there. The eyes of the party guests followed the two on their way out.

* * *

"Alright!" Sally piped up after a half hour of mellowed conversation. "Who wants dessert?" The guests' sleepy eyes immediately awoke from their food induced stupor and nodded encouragingly to Sally. As people began to once again began to file into the dining room, Carey announced that she would get Percy and Annabeth and slipped into the hallway. Sally and Paul were much too distracted to consider the impracticality of sending one of the teachers, who could easily manipulate the working conditions of a college kid, to bring Annabeth and her "student", who were doing "math" together, from said "student's" room for dessert.

Carey's feet plodded silently across the plush carpet hallway as she made her way to Percy's room. The door, pushed ajar about a foot wide, gave a perfect view of a bed. A bed on top of which two teenagers comfortably lay, kissing.

"Do you think they suspect anything?" Percy asked as he pulled away from Annabeth and brought his face down to her jaw, tracing the edge of her cheek with his the tip of his nose. Annabeth shifted her legs, intertwined with Percy's in an immovable hold, into a slightly more relaxed position.

"I hope so," she replied, as she stroked the skin of his back, where his Achilles' heel used to be, under his shirt and pressed her lips to his tousled hair. "I'd hate to leave so soon." At this, Percy rolled over onto Annabeth's body and rested his head on her arm, his rosy lips pouting up at her.

"I don't want you to go!" he whined, pressing the tips of his fingers gently into the side of her stomach at the exact spot where her shirt had ridden up while they were busy doing, erm, _other activities_. The touch sent a fire crawling up her veins, eating up her heart and soul in a burst of flames and lighting her brain up with its warm glow, a fire brighter than anything she had ever known, brighter than the neon signs of the Monster Donut Shop, brighter than the shining constellation of The Huntress, brighter than a Camp Half Blood bonfire on a particularly effervescent night. This fire now lived inside of her, and she wished it to never snuff out. "Don't leave," Percy whispered, pressing his lips up against her rubicund cheek and soaking in the scent of her lemony hair.

"Of course I won't leave Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth chuckled out. "You can't get rid of me that easily." Percy smiled down at her, completely enamored, and pressed his lips onto hers. Together, they let the fire consume them and they turned into light, floating hazily in a sea of bliss. Never had the two felt so alive. Never had the two been so happy. Never had the two ever loved someone as fervidly as they did to each other. And so they decided to voice it.

"I love you," Percy said as he breathed onto Annabeth's face from a few millimeters away, a technique that Shawn Spencer of the television show "Psych" liked to call "really close talking." "I love you so much," he repeated. This was not the first time that Annabeth heard those words come out of Percy's mouth, but every time she heard it it jarred her deeper and deeper into inescapable bliss, quite literally the best feeling in the world. And so she returned the favor.

"I love you more than you can imagine," she replied, intimately rubbing her hand against the back of his thigh. He smiled, and their lips met once again in a kiss of passion, and flames, and content.

Carey watched the series of events unfold from her place behind the door. Slowly, as the young couple continued to kiss and sing their hearts out into each other's ears, she stepped away from the room and crept back to the front of the apartment, smiling softly the whole way down.

Dessert could wait.

**So what'd you guys think? Review in the box below, and I will be incredibly grateful. I'd love to hear what y'all think!**

**I'd also like to bring attention to two beautiful songs, one I heard a while back and another I heard just yesterday.**

**The more recent one I heard is "The Rip Tide" by Beirut. Gee, I wonder why that caught my eye ;) It's a marvelous song really. The tune is so peaceful and melodic. It really reminds me about Percy's relationship with the ocean, and how when he enters the water, he's no longer "the son of Poseidon" or "a child of the Big Three" or "the demigod of the Prophecy." He can be no one in the vast depths of the sea, "could be unknown" (quote from the song) and not have to impress anybody. It's a flawless.**

**The other one, which I got from Burdge's Percy Jackson Playlist, is "Blue Lips" by Regina Spektor. Her singing is absolutely stunning, it's breathtaking. The music is dark and a bit hopeful at the same time. It really reminds me of Percy's journey through the books, and how quickly he had to grow up and leave his childhood. It is so beautiful, I actually cried the first time I heard it.**

**If you haven't heard either or both of the songs, give them a listen. I don't know if y'all will like them, but I sure did. So a question for me to ask and for you to answer: Are there any songs that remind you of anything related to Percy Jackson, and if so what are they? I would love to hear them.**

**Read and Review! Thanks so much!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hades guys, I'm so sorry. I don't know where I've been these past two months. I had an out of state volleyball tournament the weekend right after I posted the last chapter, and then I had exams, and then another traveling tournament for a whole week, then state standardized testing, then volleyball tournament after volleyball tournament after volleyball tournament. And as the school year is winding down, my teachers just keep on piling on more papers and projects and tests. Not to mention I spent the last week on some kind of Danny Phantom craze and watched all the episodes of all three seasons consecutively for five days straight. I mean, can you blame me? Danny Phantom is the hottest cartoon character out there, no contest. On another note…**

**What. The. Actual. Crap. Do you want to know how many reviews I got for the last chapter? Eighty seven! Eighty seven? YES EIGHTY SEVEN! You guys are fantastic, you know that? That's the most reviews I've ever gotten for a chapter. I'm blown away. I have no words for the amount of support I've gotten. Y'all are fabulous! This update is very well deserved. Enjoy! *Mwa* love y'all!**

**I just realized how often I say y'all. Whoops. Guilty as charged :)**

**Oh and by the way, I'd like to thank ****Aleia Night**** for introducing me to an absolutely gorgeous song, Strawberry Swing by Coldplay. You should check it out; it's just so…Percabeth. I love it! Thanks for reviewing Aleia; and to the rest of you too!**

"So, Seaweed Brain, huh? That's a cute nickname." There was no indication that Annabeth had heard Ms. Lance's comment except for the jolting twist of her wrist, causing the teacher lounge coffee pot to tilt excessively and the hazelnut brew to gush into a chipped ceramic mug much quicker than anticipated. Setting the pot down and shifting her weight onto the hand pressed flat against the table beside her, Annabeth turned her astute gaze onto her colleague. Her eyes visibly hardened from a liquid silver to a frigid platinum as she took a sip of her drink.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Annabeth replied, eyes boring into Ms. Lance's, her mouth set and her gaze unwavering. But Carey knew better.

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about, sweetheart," Ms. Lance replied, trailing her finger idly around the rim of her mug and giving Annabeth an amused smirk. The two stared at each other for quite a while: grey steely eyes met impassive brown ones. After a moment, Annabeth's stoic persona boiled into thin air and her gaze grew slightly panicked. She sighed in defeat and took a swig of her coffee (Decaf of course. Give an ADHD, Greek-speaking, dyslexic, battle-wired demigod _caffeine_? Are you insane?) with begrudging submission.

"If you tell anyone, I'll get fired," Annabeth responded, consciously avoiding the one thing she refused to do: ask for a favor.

"Of course I won't spill," Ms. Lance replied, aghast as she ran a hand through her brown cropped hair. "You're secret is safe. But in return, you have to do something for me." Annabeth growled in annoyance; there was the extra baggage, the burden she would have to lug around until she left the premises of this high school.

"And what would that be?" Annabeth asked, not bothering to place any courteous semblance of a smile on her face.

"Make that boy pass my class," Carey demanded, her eyebrows furrowing in exasperation. "I've tried _everything_. I've even tried tutoring him personally. Nothing seems to work!" she griped. Grasping Annabeth's free hand firmly in both of her own, Carey begged Annabeth, "Please help me."

Annabeth's lips curled up into her cheeks. This version of blackmail just so happened to land within her vast range of expertise. She had a few, ah, _methods_ to get Percy to study harder which, truth be told, she very much enjoyed implementing.

Annabeth toyed with her smile. "I'll see what I can do."

"Yes! Finally!" Miss Lance exhaled, pumping her fist in the air at her somewhat victory. Letting her hand drop to the polished wooden table, Carey looked around aimlessly, hoping for a new topic of conversation to bloom into existence. Just as the first few notes of an awkward silence began to chime through the air, Carey's phone rang in her handbag. Upon hearing the opening percussion beat of "Walking on Sunshine," Annabeth took her cue to leave. She backed out of the teacher's lounge, waving languidly to Carey, who was talking into the phone and grinning.

"Hey kiddo!" Carey said as she shooed Annabeth and her aloof bravado out the door. "What'd you blow up this time?"

**DON'T FORGET A LINE BREAK OR YOU WILL LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT**

Meanwhile, Jack Rackley stabbed sullenly at the tray of suspiciously bubbling pasta on his lunch table as amorphous figures and voices shuffled around, echoing off the walls of the cafeteria. Oh how he hated the cafeteria. Five days a week he was forced to sit in that wretched dining hall with the putrid smells and the idiots he called companions, every day watching them climb over each other in their attempts to put on an obsequious façade as to win over his comradeship. What utter bullshit. Jack doesn't have friends. Not real ones, anyway. These lowlifes should consider themselves lucky and honored that Jack had a reputation to uphold and an ego to preen, otherwise they'd be out and thrown away like his last girlfriend. If she could even be called that. No, as Jack saw it, he was a perspicacious dictator ruling over a nation of blubbering imbeciles. How tragic his life had become.

Jack, rolling his eyes at his basketball teammate Brandon, who was bragging about the girl he supposedly "banged" last night—all the while sending surreptitious glances his way—stretched his broad shoulders and scanned the crowd near the doors with his bleak, utterly bored blue eyes. And through those doors walked the bane of Jack's existence: Percy Jackson.

It didn't matter that Percy never spoke to anyone unless addressed directly. It didn't matter that he never went to parties, even though he was always invited to them. It didn't matter that he more often than not wore the same beaten down orange t-shirt with the same faded print "CHB" sprawled across it. It didn't matter that he had dyslexia and ADHD, and could never sit still in class unless he was sleeping. It didn't matter that Percy Jackson was a total _loser_.

Because no matter what he did, Percy Jackson was always the schools most conversed about topic. The girls found themselves skirting around the edges of his consciousness, getting lost in his eyes, the rage that hid behind the vast opaqueness of his irises, and the happiness too. The boys, with their intrinsic territorial instincts, sniffed him out as a predator, someone to be feared, and maybe to be venerated as well. Percy Jackson was a black, splotchy question mark, standing out amongst the sea of ordinary even while he tried not to.

And then his girlfriend, that leggy blonde with a brain as big as the space her masses of curls took up, made an appearance, and things took a turn for the worse.

With her arrival came the end of Jackson's stone-faced veneer, and now it was not unlikely at all to see a goofy, dazzling grin cracking the rough contours of his face. Gone were the troublemaker smirks that had been Percy's trademark for so long. Now all he did was smile, his thoughts so intently focused on Annabeth that sometimes, under the fluorescent lighting, people would catch a sparkle in his eye so blinding that they seemed to glow a bright gold, as if he were something ethereal, celestial even, before the flash of color disappeared back into the watery depths.

Over the course of a few short weeks, Percy's demeanor had made a complete U-turn. His shoulders lost their tension, his eyes became less furtive, his lips were always slightly ajar, as if a laugh were about to bubble out between them at any given moment, simply because he felt like it. And suddenly, the untouchable Percy Jackson now had an air of approachability about him. He had evolved from his brooding bad boy status and transformed into a guy that people made an effort to be around, simply because he was great company.

Percy was becoming popular. And Jack didn't like it one bit.

**LINE BREAKKKKKKKKKKK**

Sauntering through the Hydra's four remaining heads as they snapped at her heels, Annabeth twirled the lighted tree branch in her hand. She lazily dragged her foot across the concrete pathway of Central Park, scraping some monster grime off her shoe as Percy methodically cut off yet another head. After scaling the Hydra's back and lighting the flailing stump of a neck into flames, Annabeth turned to look at her boyfriend over her shoulder.

"Oh, by the way, I'm not making out with you until you pass that American Government test next week." This definitely got Percy's attention.

His feet slid to a halt and Riptide slapped against the ground, the metal clang punctuating his surprise.

The Hydra screeched in the background.

"What?" Percy cried out in distress, his mouth agape and his eyes wide with horror. "But _why?_"

"Because—Percy, watch out!" Annabeth's words jarred Percy back to reality as he jerked his line of sight upward to see one of the Hydra's heads rocketing towards him, its jelly-donut smeared maw hurdling straight for his head. Ducking and rolling to the side, Percy rose back to his feet and sliced Riptide upward in a wide arc, cutting off yet another head. He then flicked his wrist to send the sword sailing towards the demon head that was trying to take a chunk out of his girlfriend's arm. Annabeth simply ignored the snarling monster and reclined lazily on its back, waiting on more wounds to seal with her flaming baton.

"Because, Kelp Head," Annabeth continued as she set fire to the last head and let the Hydra crumble into oblivion before landing gracefully on her feet, "Ms. Lance knows." She didn't stop to acknowledge the look of confusion and worry on Percy's face. "And in return for keeping our relationship quiet, I have to help you pass her class." As Percy digested this new piece of information, the expression on his face steadily morphed from concern and confusion to anguished horror.

How in the world was he ever going to survive?

Instinctively, Percy lurched forward towards Annabeth. He halted half a foot away from her and placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them slightly. It was then that he began to lean in. It was when Percy's long, thin lips hovered a mere centimeter from hers that Annabeth decided to speak up.

"Uh Percy, what are you doing? Did you not hear what I just said?" Annabeth tried to envelop the words in her typical sarcastic, sassy tone, but Percy's proximity had left her breathing ragged and her head spinning. Gently, he closed the void and pressed his lips to hers. Annabeth held her resolve and didn't kiss back, but she couldn't find the ability to break away either. So she just stood there, eyes fluttering, shoulders trembling, her brain screaming at her to back away and her heart begging for her to pull him closer. After a moment, or possibly an eternity, of floating in suspended, innumerable bliss, Percy leaned away, digging his hands into his jeans and flicking an inky lock of hair out of his eyes.

"Well," Percy replied with his lilted smirk, preparing to answer the question that remained aimlessly floating in the air, a question Annabeth no longer remembered asking. "There's a difference between kissing and making out, Wise Girl."

Well, you can't argue with _that_ logic.

And so, grinning madly and silently applauding her boyfriend for discovering a loophole, Annabeth Chase attacked Percy in the alley of the Hydra's demise, ambushing him with kiss after searing kiss and pushing him up against the wall as they continued to make out- ahem, I mean _kiss heatedly_- to sound of ringing ears, and hammering hearts, and gasping breaths, and to the high soprano of love racing through their veins.

**Well here you go! I know it's not much, but I hope you enjoy it!**

**I have one thing to ask. I've gotten some complaints about people not liking my new writing style, and how they liked my old one much better. Now, there is no way in hell that I'm reverting to that old writing style, but I just wanted to know which one you guys prefer, and what you miss about my old writing technique. So if you could do that, I'd greatly appreciate it! Review if you want to. I hope you do. I love to read them. And I do read every single one. So REVIEW!**


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